NM and AZ Are Beginning To Act On Borders

[Annie]

granted I'm sure this is to hurt Bush, but then again the administration has failed to move:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0508170120aug17,1,3916209,print.story

Border states declare crisis
Blaming U.S. inaction, Arizona, N.M. react to drug violence


By Stephen Franklin and Hugh Dellios, Tribune staff reporters. Stephen Franklin reported from Arizona and Hugh Dellios from Mexico City; Tribune news services contributed to this report

August 17, 2005

NOGALES, Ariz. -- Saying their states are reeling from growing drug trafficking and illegal migration, the governors of Arizona and New Mexico have declared states of emergency along their borders with Mexico.

Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona has freed up $1.5 million in disaster funds to assist state agencies and border counties while New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson defended his recent decision to declare an emergency, saying states must take security into their own hands because the federal government has failed to fix the problem.

In response, Mexican officials have described the governors' declarations as exaggerations. They rejected the idea that only Mexico can solve the problem and called for cooperation between the two countries to calm the border area.

"My call to the U.S., whether it's to a state government or the government of President Bush, is that in place of pronouncements, we make proposals, in place of each working on his own side, we work together. Only like that will we be able to win [against the criminals]," Mexican President Vicente Fox said on Tuesday.

Violence, fueled by wars between drug cartels, has plagued Mexican border towns, leaving more than 300 people dead, including 110 in Nuevo Laredo, a city of 350,000 people across the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas.

In Nogales, Ariz., Cochise County Sheriff Tony Estrada said, "This thing has gotten unbelievable," referring to problems linked to drug trafficking and illegal migrations.

"I have a jail built 31 years ago for 52 inmates, and today I have 110 inmates and 50 percent of them are Mexican nationals being held on state charges," Estrada said.

Spokesmen in Washington defended efforts by the U.S. and Mexico to stem violence and drug trafficking. And on Tuesday night, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said in a speech to be delivered in Denver that immigration reform is "crucial to the national interests of both of our countries."

In her emergency declaration Monday, Napolitano criticized the federal government for "moving too slow" on border security. Her office said security is a federal responsibility, and the federal government is not meeting it.

The governor acted days after New Mexico's Richardson, a fellow Democrat, issued a similar declaration of emergencies in four southern counties: Grant, Hidalgo, Luna and Dona Ana.

Richardson complained that the federal government has failed to stem smuggling-related violence and said he would spend $1.75 million on security improvements in New Mexico. He even suggested bulldozing a Mexican border town popular with smugglers of people and drugs. Richardson is the nation's only Hispanic governor.

The $1.5 million in Arizona will be distributed by the state's Division of Emergency Management, and will go to state agencies and four border counties: Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise. The money is coming from $4 million set aside annually for disasters, and this is the first time Napolitano has used the fund for border issues.

A few miles from downtown Nogales, which is separated from its Mexican sister city by a much-repaired metal fence, U.S. Border Patrol workers were processing the latest migrants caught coming across the border. About 1,000 migrants pass through the Nogales center daily, officials said...

The dead tree edition this morning, put this with the above on the front page:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0508170158aug17,1,999089.story

Poll: Over 40% in Mexico would live in U.S.
Pew study also finds many Hispanics born here support curbs

By Vincent J. Schodolski
Tribune national correspondent
Published August 17, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- More than 40 percent of Mexicans in a new survey would opt to immigrate to the United States and more than 20 percent of them would enter this country illegally given the opportunity, a study released Tuesday disclosed.

The survey by the Pew Hispanic Center also found that the desire to immigrate to the U.S. cuts across a wide socio-economic swath, with the poorest of Mexicans sharing the urge to move north with high school and college educated fellow countrymen.

"Contrary to what people might expect, the desire to immigrate is not restricted to the poor," said Roberto Suro, the director of the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center.

"It is strong in the middle class even among Mexicans who have been to college," he said.

The report is based on polls of Hispanics conducted in Mexico and the United States. The questions also touched on attitudes toward immigrants and U.S. immigration policy.

The survey of 1,200 people in Mexico was conducted twice, in February and again in May.

About 35 percent of Mexican college graduates surveyed said they would come to the U.S., the poll found, and 13 percent would do so even if it meant entering this country illegally...

 

[Annie]

I guess I'm not the only skeptic, probably should have put this in Politics. :


http://notadesperatehousewife.mu.nu/archives/112347.php

August 16, 2005
Arizona and New Mexico Asking For Help

I know I'm suppose to be focusing on Cotillion, but wow, I've got to get this off my chest.

I'm not going to post any links, if you're reading this blog you probably already know that the DEMOCRATIC governors from both Arizona and New Mexico have declared a state of emergency to deal with their illegal immigration problem.

Here's a cookie to chew on: Both of these governors have had some participation in allowing illegals drivers licenses. They both have approved of legislation that shows compassion and tolerance to the presence of these aliens. Is it possible that perhaps this is all just a scheme to grab the nation's attention? People on the left and the right understand the seriousness of this situation, but what has the Bush administration done to end illegal immigration? Nothing. This is the Golden Ticket for the Democratic party and they have decided to run with it, real fast and real hard. I'm sorry but the Republican in me sees this as nothing more than a media stunt. The pasts of both of these governors speaks volumes of the opposite.
Posted by Stacy at August 16, 2005 04:49 PM